Apparatus and methods for facilitating wagering on games conducted on an independent video gaming system

ABSTRACT

A gaming system includes a video gaming system and one or more video monitors operatively connected to receive a game video signal. A wager input device is also included in the system and configured to receive a wager on a result in the video game. An image evaluation processing system is connected to receive the game video signal and is configured to evaluate the game video signal to identify a result in the game. The wager resolution system is connected to the image evaluation processing system and to the wager input device, and is configured to receive the wager and the result identified by the image evaluation processing system, and to resolve the wager based at least in part on that result.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/400,021 filed Sep. 26, 2016 andentitled “Sports Tournament Gaming System and Method.” The entirecontent of this provisional application is incorporated herein by thisreference. The entire content of U.S. Pat. No. 9,443,394 entitled“Convertible In-Revenue and Out-of-Revenue Gaming System and Method witha Real-Time Streaming Video Feed and Display” is also incorporatedherein by this reference.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction of the patent document or thepatent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Officerecords, but otherwise reserves all rights of copyright whatsoever.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to gaming systems and, more particularly, todevices and methods for collecting gaming results and facilitatingwagering on those results. The invention also encompasses programproducts which may be executed to collect gaming results and facilitatewagering on those results.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wagering has long been popular through various gaming machines such asreel-type gaming machines (in which results are displayed viavideo-simulated or physical reels), electronic poker machines,electronic pachinko machines, and other gaming machines. In these typesof gaming machines, a player places a wager at the gaming machine,activates the gaming machine for the wager, and the wager is resolvedbased on the result obtained for that activation of the game. Thisresolution may include the award of cash, credits, points, or othervalue in view of a result defined as a winning result for the game.Otherwise, the resolution for the wager may include the loss of thewager amount in view of a result defined as a losing result for thegame. Some electronic gaming machines offer the ability to placeadditional wagers on different games offered concurrently on the gamingmachine, while other gaming machines provide the chance at additionalprizes for bonus games conducted within the framework of the originalgame for which the original wager was placed. Additionally, someelectronic gaming systems allow competitive play in tournaments orotherwise in which players or teams of players compete against eachother using some sort of scoring system. This competitive play may be“in-revenue” in which players must still enter wagers for the variousplays in the underlying game, or “out-of-revenue” in which players orteams pay an entry fee in order to participate in the tournament, and nowagers are required on the plays in the underlying games.

Beyond the traditional wagering games conducted through electronicgaming machines, various video gaming systems have been developed forvideo games such as MORTAL KOMBAT®, MADDEN NFL®, SUPER SMASH BROS.®, andmany more. Video game genres include real-time strategy games, fightinggames, first-person shooter (FPS) games, and multiplayer online battlearena (MOBA) games. Popular video gaming systems (also referred to as“gaming platforms”) include the various XBOX® and PLAYSTATION® products,which employ a dedicated game console connected to a suitable monitorand game controller. The game console includes a suitable processingsystem to execute video game program code, receive player inputs enteredthrough the game controller, and generate a game video signal that isdirected to the connected video monitor to display the game graphicsover the course of play in the given game. General purpose computerssuch as PCs represent another type of video gaming system whichfacilitates high levels of customization in terms of video display andplayer control input. Regardless of the video gaming system, the videogames may be conducted locally with the local player playing against thegame (or a game-controlled character) or competing with another localplayer. Video games may also be conducted over a wide area network withvarious players competing from gaming consoles at different geographiclocations.

With the wide popularity of video gaming, video gaming competitionscommonly referred to as e-sports have also become very popular. E-sportscompetitions may be organized as tournaments conducted through variousvenues which accommodate spectators and which are televised or availableon streaming media platforms to viewers at any location where suitableInternet access is available. E-sports competitions are offered on bothan amateur and professional level, and wagering on e-sports matches isavailable through various e-sports betting books similar to bettingbooks for traditional sports such as horse racing.

Video game competitions, either private competitions betweenrecreational gamers or e-sports competitions, require some degree ofmanual setup regardless of the particular video gaming system.Generally, once the game software is executed on the console or otherdevice, the player must make inputs through the given platform torequest entry into a game, and must commonly manually enter other setupinputs (such as selecting maps/arenas, characters, weapons, or tools) toprepare for the conduct of the game prior to the actual game play. Thissort of manual entry and setup makes it difficult to administertournaments particularly outside of an e-sports venue. Furthermore,results of the games must be manually collected, and this manualcollection slows and limits wagering options for the games.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The various aspects of the present invention are directed to methods andapparatus that facilitate obtaining video game results in an automatedfashion and facilitate setting up and controlling tournaments and othercompetitions on video game platforms. Implementations of the presentinvention facilitate the desired control without any need for anapplication programming interface to the underlying video games, and arethus essentially independent of the video game program code and videogaming system.

A method according to one aspect of the present invention includesreceiving a wager through a wager input device. This received wager is awager that has been placed on a result in a game to be conducted througha video gaming system. The game is then conducted through the videogaming system and the gaming console or other gaming device (allreferred to herein as a “gaming device”) produces a video signal for thegame which is directed to a monitor to display the game graphics overthe course of play. According to this aspect of the invention, the videosignal for the game is also received at an image evaluation processingsystem and the method includes evaluating the received video signal atthe image evaluation processing system to identify the result in thegame. The method then includes resolving the wager based at least inpart on the result of the game identified by the evaluation of the videosignal.

The result on which a wager may be placed according to this first aspectof the invention may be any identifiable result in the game, including afinal result at a conclusion of the game or some interim result that mayoccur prior to the conclusion of the game. A final result in the gamemay, for example, be a result between two or more contestants at theconclusion of a match between those contestants. Continuing with thisexample, the final result may indicate that one of the contestants isthe winner of the match. Alternatively with this example, a final resultmay be a ranking of contestants. An interim result for which a wager maybe placed may comprise any identifiable event in the course of the game.For example, some games may provide contestants with two or more“lives,” and an interim result may be defined as the loss of a life by agiven one of the contestants in the course of the game. A gaming systemimplementing this first aspect of the invention may be configured tosupport wagers on any number of interim results for a given instance ofa game in addition to one or more definitions of a final result.

Another aspect of the invention encompasses a gaming system having agaming device (which may be a console or any other gaming device such asa PC) for a video gaming system and one or more video monitorsoperatively connected to receive a game video signal for a gameconducted through the gaming device. A wager input device is alsoincluded in the system and configured to receive a wager on a result inthe game. A gaming system according to this aspect of the inventionfurther includes an image evaluation processing system and a wagerresolution processing system. The image evaluation processing system isoperatively connected to receive the game video signal and is configuredto evaluate the game video signal to identify a result in the game. Thewager resolution system is operatively connected to the evaluationprocessing system and to the wager input device, and is configured toreceive the wager and the result identified by the image evaluationprocessing system, and to resolve the wager based at least in part onthat result.

Because the method and system according to the first two aspects of theinvention may be implemented through one or more general purpose orotherwise programmable processing devices, another aspect of the presentinvention encompasses program products storing program code. Programcode stored on one or more data storage devices according to this aspectof the invention may include wager input program code, image evaluationprogram code, and wager resolution program code. The wager input programcode is executable to receive a wager on a game in a video gamingsystem, while the image evaluation program code is executable toevaluate a game video signal generated for the game so as to identify aresult in the game. The wager resolution program code is executable toreceive the wager and the result identified by the image evaluationprogram code, and to resolve the wager based at least in part on theresult identified by execution of the image evaluation program code.

These first three aspects of the invention have the advantage that theyare independent of the game software per se and are equally applicableto any game that generates a game video signal to display the gamegraphics including ultimately the result for which the wager was placed.Because the game result is gleaned from an evaluation of the videosignal which is used to generate the game graphics, the game may be anygame conducted on a video gaming system such as a given generationXBOX®, PLAYSTATION®, or other console game, or a PC game, without anyapplication programming interface to the game software. Thus aspects ofthe present invention facilitate wagering on results in video gameswhich are already established and popular both for private gaming andtournament gaming.

In implementations according to any of the above-described aspects ofthe present invention, evaluating the video signal may include searchingpixel data of a respective frame from the video signal for a resultcharacteristic corresponding to the result in the game. An outputindicative of the result may then be produced in response to detectionof the characteristic corresponding to the result in the game.

Also, implementations may further include searching the pixel data ofthe respective frame for a threshold characteristic corresponding to adisplay graphic in which the result characteristic is displayedaccording to the game. When the threshold characteristic is not detectedin the respective frame, it is apparent that the frame cannot includethe game result and the searching may be aborted as to that frame.Searching may then continue for the threshold characteristic as to thepixel data for a subsequent frame from the video signal. A full searchof the pixel data for the respective frame from the video signal, thatis, a search sufficient to identify the desired result characteristic,may be performed in response to the detection of the thresholdcharacteristic in the respective frame.

In any case, searching the pixel data for the result characteristic mayinclude searching for alphanumeric characters at one or more locationsof the frame, searching for one or more colors in the frame, orsearching for one or more geometric shapes in the frame, or combinationsof these.

Implementations according to any of the foregoing aspects of theinvention may include the wager input device in a gaming machine thatalso includes the game console or other gaming device for conducting thegame. Wager input devices for placing wagers on results in the games mayalso be included in separate devices such as dedicated wagering devices,gaming machines that themselves conduct common wagering games such asreel-type gaming machines, or devices such as PCs or mobile deviceslinked by a suitable network.

A wager resolution system in a gaming system according to the presentinvention may include a wagering backend processing system configured todetermine the probability of the result occurring in the game. Thisprobability may be applied together with the identified result toresolve the wager that has been placed on the given result occurring inthe game. Where the wagering backend processing system is implementedwith one or more general purpose data processing devices, the devicesmay be configured to perform their functionality with wagering backendprogram code.

A gaming system according to the above-mentioned aspect of the inventionmay further include a tournament processing device operatively connectedto both the image evaluation processing system and to the gaming deviceor to the gaming device and one or more additional gaming devices forthe video gaming system. This tournament processing device is configured(in some implementations via tournament program code) to receive playrequests from two or more players, to produce setup control signals, andto output the setup control signals to the gaming device or to thegaming device and the one or more additional gaming devices. The setupcontrol signals are configured to set up and initiate a game on thevideo gaming system between the two or more players through the gamingdevice where the gaming device supports multiple players or through thegaming device and one or more additional gaming devices where eachplayer prefers (or must) play through a separate gaming device.

Other aspects of the present invention apply the game video signal framesearching to control tournaments of video games which may be conductedon any video gaming system. In one of these aspects of the invention, amethod includes receiving a video signal for a game setup sequence of agame to be conducted on a video gaming system and evaluating the videosignal to identify one or more game setup states for the game. Thismethod further includes generating gaming device setup control signalsand communicating those gaming device setup control signals to a gamingdevice. These gaming device setup control signals comprise inputs tofill one or more input fields of the one or more game setup states andto initiate play on the video gaming system between predeterminedcontestants.

In another aspect of the invention for controlling video gametournaments, a gaming system includes a gaming device for a video gamingsystem, and one or more video monitors operatively connected to receivea game video signal for a game on the video gaming system. As in theabove-mentioned aspect of the invention relating to identifying resultsin the game, the gaming system according to this aspect of the inventionincludes an image evaluation processing system operatively connected toreceive the game video signal. However in this aspect of the invention,the image evaluation processing system is configured to evaluate thegame video signal to identify one or more game setup states for thegaming device. A tournament processing device is included in the gamingsystem and is operatively connected to the image evaluation processingsystem and to the gaming device. The tournament processing deviceaccording to this aspect of the invention is configured to receive playrequests for the game, to produce gaming device setup control signals,and to output the gaming device setup control signals to the gamingdevice. The gaming device setup control signals include inputs to fillone or more input fields of the one or more game setup states and toinitiate play on the video gaming system between predeterminedcontestants.

A program product according to the tournament control aspect of thepresent invention includes image evaluation program code and tournamentprogram code. In this aspect of the invention, the image evaluationprogram code is executable to evaluate the game video signal generatedby the gaming device of a video gaming system and to identify one ormore game setup states for the gaming device. Tournament program code isexecutable to generate gaming device setup control signals andcommunicate those gaming device setup control signals to the gamingdevice. The gaming device setup control signals comprise inputs to fillone or more input fields of the one or more game setup states and toinitiate play on the video gaming system between predeterminedcontestants.

In aspects of the present invention for controlling tournamentsconducted through various video gaming systems, all of theabove-described video frame searching implementations are alsoapplicable. However, in the case of controlling tournaments, thesearching is for setup fields included in the graphics of the game setupsequences rather than for result characteristics corresponding to aresult in the game.

These and other advantages and features of the invention will beapparent from the following description of representative embodiments,considered along with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of an example gaming machineconfigurable to provide one or more games on a video gaming system inaccordance with one or more embodiments encompassed under the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of another gaming machine configurableto provide one or more games on a video gaming system in accordance withone or more embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a gaming system embodying aspectsof the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a gaming machine which may beemployed in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a process flow chart showing a method of identifying a resultin a game and resolving a wager on that result according to one or moreembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a game image from which a gameresult may be identified according to various aspects of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of an alternative game image fromwhich a game result may be identified.

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of another game image from which aresult in a game may be identified, where the result is an interimresult in the game.

FIG. 9 is a process flow chart showing a method of setting up tournamentplay in a game according to one or more embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic representation of a game image from which a setupstate for a game may be identified.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an example input monitor in accordancewith one or more embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a button filter in accordancewith one or more embodiments.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a gaming machine that may be used forplacing wagers on games such as those conducted on the gaming machineshown in FIG. 1, and also for participating in a reel-type or other typeof wagering game.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the various components that may beincluded in the gaming machine shown in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a gaming system including gaming machinessuch as that shown in FIG. 13.

DESCRIPTION OF REPRESENTATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, an example gaming machine 101 is configured toallow two players to play a video game against each other and/or againstplayers competing through other gaming machines of a video gamingsystem. To accommodate two players, example gaming machine 101 includesdual player button decks 103 and 105 located on a button deck support107 so that the players may position themselves either sitting orstanding to face the display screen 109 of the gaming machine. Displayscreen 109 is illustrated showing an interactive competition game withgame characters (also referred to as “avatars”) 111 and 113. Each playerbutton deck 103 and 105 includes controls that enable a respectiveplayer to provide player inputs in the course of the game such as tocontrol their respective character's movements, attacks, defenses, andperhaps other actions or activity in the course of the game so as toaccumulate points or otherwise compete in the game. One or more jacks115 may be provided in addition to player button deck 103 and one ormore jacks 117 may be provided in addition to player button deck 105.These jacks 115 and 117 may be positioned on the front edge of buttondeck support 107, under that support, or at any other convenientlocation, and may comprise universal I/O connectors or gamingplatform-specific connectors. Jacks 115 and 117 enable each player toconnect a game controller device (e.g. game controller 317 shown inFIGS. 3 and 4) and use the game controller device to provide playerinputs to the game.

FIG. 2 shows an alternative gaming machine 201, similar to gamingmachine 101, but placing player button decks 203 and 205 in a morecentral location of button deck support 207. Gaming machine 201 includesdisplay screen 209 shown in this example as displaying game characters211 and 213. Jacks (not shown) may also be included in gaming machine201 corresponding to jacks 115 and 117 shown in the example of FIG. 1.Although both gaming machines 101 and 201 include dual button panels tofacilitate two-player gaming at the gaming machine, both gaming machinesmay be configured to allow only a single player to play games throughthe respective gaming machine. Of course, other gaming machineembodiments according to the various aspects of the present inventionmay be configured only for single-player play at that gaming machine orfor more than two players.

As will be discussed in more detail below, the games available throughthe example gaming machines 101 and 201 may be games that are playedthrough popular video gaming systems such as the various generationXBOX® platforms and the various generation PLAYSTATION® platforms. Theexample characters 111, 113, 211, and 213 are game characters from theSTREET FIGHTER® game series which includes titles for the XBOX® andPLAYSTATION® platforms, and well as for PC. In order to facilitate playthrough these popular video game systems, gaming machines 101 and 201include at least one gaming console for one of these systems. Forexample, gaming machine 101 may house an XBOX ONE® console. It is alsopossible that a gaming machine such as gaming machine 101 housesmultiple different video gaming system consoles to accommodate playerpreferences. Controls shown for gaming machines 101 and 201, such as atleast some of the buttons included in button panels 103 and 105 in FIG.1, and the devices which may be connected to jacks 115 and 117 in FIG.1, may be controls which provide inputs to the one or more video gamingsystem consoles included in the gaming machine. Regardless of the gamingdevice or gaming devices included in the gaming machine, some aspects ofthe present invention facilitate wagering on various results that may beobtained in these games. Other aspects of the present inventionfacilitate control of games conducted through these video gaming systemsto allow extra-platform control of tournaments (that is, control fromoutside of the platform).

FIG. 3 illustrates an example e-sports gaming system 301 configurable toprovide one or more competitive games which may support tournament playand wagering in accordance with one or more embodiments. E-sports gamingsystem 301 includes one or more e-sports gaming machines 101 connectedto e-sports system server 303 through a suitable network 304 which maycomprise any suitable wired and/or wireless network. E-sports gamingmachines 101 are also connected to an e-sports system game controller(which may be referred to as a “virtual game controller”) 321 which isillustrated in this example system 301 as having a communication path319 separate from the network 304. The nature of the communications toand from e-sports gaming machine 101 will be described further belowparticularly in connection with FIG. 4.

E-sports gaming system 301 further includes a wagering backend server223, a wager account server 325, Internet server 322, video streamingserver 324, display manager 306, and additional gaming devices 326.These additional devices are preferably interconnected in network 304.

E-sports gaming machines 101 are also each connected to one or more gamecontrollers 317 and to the display manager 306. The connection betweeneach game controller 317 and the respective e-sports gaming machine 101may be through a respective jack associated with the e-sports gamingmachine such as jacks 115 and 117 shown in FIG. 1. As discussed inconnection with FIG. 1 above, the game controllers which allow a playerto make game control player inputs in the course of a video gameconducted through the e-sports gaming machine 101 may also be integratedinto the e-sports gaming machine and may comprise the control panels 103and 105 as shown in FIG. 1. The connection to display manager 306 may beany suitable connection for communicating a video signal output fromgaming machine 101 to display manager 306. For example, the connectionbetween a given gaming machine 101 and display manager may comprise anHDMI, VGA, or some other connection through which a video signal (ordata from which a video signal may be generated) may be communicated.Display manager 306 may direct the video signal in the appropriateformat to displays 305 to allow patrons to watch e-sports games in realtime and to watch replays and recasts of e-sports games.

FIG. 3 also shows that e-sports gaming system 301 may communicate withexternal devices such as a remote wagering device 327 or a remote gamingsite 328 which may itself include numerous wagering devices. FIG. 3shows these external devices and systems connected over the Internet,however, any communications link may be employed to support thecommunications described further below, particularly in connection withthe flowchart of FIG. 5.

E-sports system 301 supports the play of e-sports games particularlythrough popular video gaming systems and facilitates wagering on variousresults that may occur in these games. For example, a player may loginto a video gaming system supported at e-sports gaming machine 101 andplay a game on that platform. The play may be competitive against one ormore other players or may be against an AI (game-controlled character)supported by the game. In other types of games the player or players maytraverse an obstacle course or track and compete to produce the bestscore determined by any suitable metric or combination of metrics. Theplayer may also enter wagers on various results that may occur in thegame such as point totals, times (in clocked racing games for example),either at the completion of a game or at some point within the course ofa game. System users other than the player may also wager on one or moreresults that may occur in the game, and these results may or may not bethe same results on which a video game player places a wager. Theresults on which wagers may be placed will be discussed further below inconnection with FIGS. 5-8. The other user may be a player alsoparticipating in the same game through another gaming machine 101 orthrough any other gaming device with connectivity to the networksupported by the video gaming system, or may be a spectator with respectto the video game played through e-sports gaming machine 101 such as auser at another gaming machine which supports e-sports wagers or a localwagering device 326 in FIG. 3, or a remote wagering device such asdevice 327 or a device at a remote gaming site such as site 328.

E-sports system server 303 may function in system 301 to set up,initiate, and monitor, games played on e-sports gaming machines 101.E-sports system server 303 may also (in cooperation with wageringbackend server 323 and wager account server 325) determine and awardpayouts for wager-determinant conditions detected in the games played onthe e-sports gaming machines. Although system 301 may allow players toselect players against which they compete in a given game conductedthrough e-sports gaming machines 101, and may allow manual set up andinitiation of games, embodiments of the system may facilitate e-sportstournaments that are set up and initiated by or through e-sports systemserver 303 functioning alone or with other elements in the system as atournament processing device. For e-sports tournaments conducted throughsystem 301, a player may sign up or enroll for a tournament through aplayer enrollment device 310 where a player may input playerinformation, such as by sliding a player card, driver's license or otherreadable ID card or by using a keypad to enter requested information,and pay a fee, if required. Such a player enrollment device may beattended by a casino employee, or may be an unattended, self-servicedevice. The player enrollment device functions may also be implementedin a gaming machine 101, additional gaming machine 326, or at a remotedevice or system such as remote wagering device 327 or a device atremote gaming site 328. Regardless of how and where the playerinformation is entered, the information is transmitted to the e-sportssystem server 303. An operator of e-sports system 301 may organize oneor more tournaments for simultaneous processing by tournament systemserver 303 and organize the enrolled players according to thetournaments that the players have been signed up to play. Players may becalled to play a given round of a tournament at selected times or theymay be able to play on a first come first serve basis depending upon thetournament. At selected times, e-sports system server 303 may transmitselected player information to selected e-sports gaming machines 101 tobe displayed on respective display screens 109 or other display screensassociated with the gaming machines 101 to identify one or morecompetitors, such as two competitors for a two-person gaming machine101, at the respective gaming machines 101. E-sports system server 303may also transmit one or more instructions to each participating gamingmachine 101 to select the particular tournament game to be played andinitiate play at the participating gaming machine 101. Thesecommunications to select a particular tournament game and initiate play,or any other communications that must be executed by the video gamingdevice included in the gaming machine, may be performed through e-sportsvirtual game controller 321 as will be described further below. Theplayer information may also be displayed on selected external displays305 to enable spectators and bettors to see who is competing and whatthe game is to be played. Processes for setting up and controllingtournaments through e-sports system server 303 will be described infurther detail below in connection with the flow diagram of FIG. 9.Where e-sports system server 303 administers e-sports tournaments, itmay also maintain tournament player scores and rankings in the fashiondisclosed in incorporated U.S. Pat. No. 9,443,394. Current rankings intournaments may be communicated to display controller 320 forcontrolling one or more displays 330 to display leaderboard informationsuch as current leaders. Display controller 320 may also cause video ofthe e-sports game players to be displayed at leaderboard displays 330similarly to the player video displayed as described in U.S. Pat. No.9,443,394.

Wagering backend server 323 functions in system 301 to provideprobabilities for various results which may happen in games playedthrough the system. In particular, wagering backend server 323 mayprovide predictive analytics based on past activity of game play todetermine the probability of results happening in a game played throughsystem 301 and on which a wager may be placed. In some cases resultprobabilities provided by wagering backend server may not be based onpast game play or may be based only partially on past game play, and maybe generated in some other suitable fashion.

Wager account server 325 in FIG. 3 functions to support user accountsfor facilitating wagering activity. Generally, a user wishing to placewagers in e-sports system 301 will establish an account maintained bywager account server 325, and will have some value (either monetaryvalue or conceivably non-monetary value such as player points) in theaccount. Wagering accounts may be opened and maintained in any suitableway. For example, users may be allowed to open and fund an accountremotely through an Internet web page or through a tournament enrollmentdevice 310. E-sports gaming machines 101, and other gaming machines suchas gaming machine 326, may also include features to allow a user to funda wagering account maintained through wager account server 325. Someimplementations of system 301 may also allow wager funding on awager-by-wager basis through a user's credit or debit card and/orthrough some other credit or funding mechanism. Wagers placed in thesystem 301 may be deducted from the user's account maintained throughaccount server 325, and any winnings may be credited to that account.

Additional gaming devices 326 may comprise gaming machines of the typediscussed below in connection with FIG. 13. These additional gamingmachines may or may not allow play in e-sports games, but may allowwagers placed on e-sports games conducted by players on gaming machines101. As will discussed below in connection with FIG. 13, gaming machine326 may display an e-sports competition on one or more of the displaysassociated with that gaming machine while the player at that machineplays a standard wagering game such as a video card game or a reel-typegame, for example. The player at a gaming machine 326 may be enabled tobet on any result in the displayed e-sports game conducted throughgaming machine 101, such as the winner or loser of the e-sports game orthe number of points scored by one or more competitors in the e-sportsgame, or some other final or interim result for which wagering issupported through the wagering backend server 323.

Remote wagering device 327 may comprise any suitable device throughwhich wagers may be placed on e-sports games conducted through gamingmachines 101. For example, 327 may be a smart phone, tablet, laptop, orPC running an application that enables a user to view a wagering screenand place bets on results in e-sports games played through gamingmachines 101 or through a gaming machine 101 and one or more othergaming devices on the given video gaming system (that is, gaming deviceswhich may or may not be included in a gaming machine 101 or in system301). Alternatively, remote wagering device 327 may comprise a wageringkiosk that provides a wagering interface through which a user may placebets on results in e-sports games played through gaming machines 101 orthrough a gaming machine 101 and one or more other gaming devices.Remote wagering device 327 may also receive and display streaming videoof e-sports games monitored through e-sports gaming system 301.

Remote gaming site 328 may comprise a casino or other wagering facilityhaving e-sports wagering kiosks or e-sports wagering-enabled gamingmachines such as gaming machine 326. Displays at remote gaming site 328(which may include displays associated with e-sports wagering-enabledgaming machines and other devices at the remote gaming site), maydisplay e-sports games which are monitored through system 301 to allowthe remote users to follow the action in the e-sports games,particularly those on which the users have placed wagers. Remote gamingsite 328 may also include gaming machines such as gaming machines 101through which e-sports games are played.

Video streaming server 324 is included in system 301 to provide videostreams of e-sports games that are monitored by the system and on whichwagers may be placed according to aspects of the present invention. Insome embodiments, video streaming server 324 may receive datarepresenting any or all video signals received at display manager 306,and may convert those signals to a format suitable for streaming throughInternet server 322.

It should be noted that the block diagram of FIG. 3 separates componentsaccording to their function in system 301, and is not intended to implythat the functions must be performed through separate physical devices.For example, a single processing device may be programmed or otherwiseconfigured to perform the functions of the e-sports system sever 303 andvirtual game controller 321. Similarly, the functions of wageringbackend server 323 and wager account server 325 may be performed on asingle processing device such as a server with sufficient capacity. Theinvention is not limited to any particular arrangement of processingdevices to perform the various functions provided in e-sports gamingsystem 301.

Referring now to the block diagram of FIG. 4, gaming machine 101includes a gaming device (a game console or any other type of gamingdevice) 409 that is operatively connected to button panels 103 and 105,and to external game controllers 317 through jacks 115 and 117. Gamingdevice 409 is also operatively connected to provide a video output to avideo signal splitter 407 which splits the signal into multiple streams.These multiple streams of the video signal output from gaming device 409are directed in this illustrated embodiment to display 109 of the gamingmachine, and also to a gaming machine processor 408 which serves as animage evaluation processor as will be described below in connection withFIGS. 5-8. The video output signal from gaming device 409 is alsodirected to display manager 306 (FIG. 3) so that the video may bedisplayed as desired on displays 305 and also converted to a streamingformat for display at remote devices. Gaming device 409 may comprise anXBOX®, PLAYSTATION®, or other gaming console or system (such as a PC)and is operable to present a game for one or more players and tocommunicate with the applicable gaming system through network connection411. It is noted that network connection is a separate connection inthis embodiment since gaming device 409 will generally have its ownonboard network interface device (not shown). Also, network connection411 may be to network 304 or a separate local area network that providesInternet access to device 409. Local inputs during the play of a gamethrough gaming device 409 may be provided by players through integratedplayer controls 103 and 105, or through game controllers 317 which maybe connected via jacks 115 and 117. Other inputs, particularly inputsfor setting up a game in a tournament, may be provided through inputpath 319 which connected to the virtual controller 321 shown in FIG. 3.All of the input routes are through a switch 415 which may be controlledthrough virtual controller 321 as will be described below in connectionwith FIG. 9. The example e-sports gaming machine 101 shown in FIG. 4further includes an input monitor 412 interposed together with an inputfilter 413 between gaming device 409 and switch 415. As will bedescribed further below in connection with FIG. 11, input monitor 412 isoperable to monitor inputs during the course of play in a game to detectprohibited play such as automated play which could provide a player withan unfair advantage in a game. Input filter 413 is included to blockcertain prohibited inputs in the course of game play such as a “pause”command that might otherwise be available for gaming device 409.

FIG. 4 also shows that gaming machine 101 includes a player interface418. Player interface 418 is illustrated here as being connected toprocessor 408 and functions to allow a player at gaming machine 101 tointeract with system 301 separately from game play through gaming device409. For example, player interface 418 may allow the player to placewagers on their own and other e-sports games. In some embodiments playerinterface 418 may include a currency acceptor, credit card, or playercard reader, and controls such as physical or virtual(touchscreen-implemented) buttons. These elements allow the player toenter or insert value into the gaming system 301 which may be tracked,for example, by wager account server 325 in FIG. 3, and may furtherallow the player at the gaming machine to select both the type of resultfor a wager and also the wager amount. Player interface 418 in thisexample embodiment communicates across network 304 through networkinterface 410 included in gaming machine 101.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method according to one aspect of the invention. Inparticular the method shown in FIG. 5 illustrates how a video signalfrom a video game is processed to resolve a wager on a result in thevideo game. The method includes receiving a wager for a result in thegame as shown at process block 501. The method also includes receiving avideo signal for the game as shown at process block 503. The processthen goes through a series of steps shown within dashed box 504 whichrepresent an image evaluation process which ultimately detects a resultin the video game so that the wager received at process block 501 may beresolved. If the result is detected as indicated by an affirmativeoutcome at decision box 510, the process includes producing an outputidentifying the detected result as indicated at process block 512 andcommunicating that output to a process shown in dashed box 520 forresolving the wager placed at 501. This output is received as indicatedat process block 514 and the payout, if any, for the wager is identifiedat process block 515. Any payout awarded as indicated at process block518.

In the context of the example gaming system 301 shown in FIG. 3, andgaming machine shown in FIG. 4, the steps shown in dashed box 504 plusthe step shown at process block 512 are steps that may be performed bythe processor 408 in FIG. 4 serving as an image evaluation processingsystem. The steps shown in dashed box 520 are steps that may beperformed by e-sports system server 303 shown in FIG. 3 in cooperationwith wagering backend server 323 and wager account server 325.

The wager received at process block 501 may be received from a gamingmachine such as gaming machine 101 involved in the e-sports game or maybe received from any other wagering device configured to place a wagerfor the video game e-sport contest. For example, the wager may be placedthrough a remote wagering device such as a device 327 shown in FIG. 3 orat a kiosk or other wagering device at a remote gaming site 328 in FIG.3. Also, the wager received for the game at process block 501 in FIG. 5could be received from an additional gaming machine such as one of theadditional gaming machines 326 shown in FIG. 3. Regardless of from whereand specifically how the wager is received, the wager has the effect ofsetting the result to be detected by the evaluation shown in dashed box504 in FIG. 5. For example, a patron may place a wager that a givencontestant, either a character in the game or a player controlling acharacter in the game, will win a given match in the video gamerepresenting an e-sport contest. In that case a state in the game fromwhich the result can be detected is a state in which the video gamegenerates an image showing one of the contestants as the winner for thatcontest. As another example, a patron may place a wager that a givencontestant, again either a game character or a player controlling agiven character in the contest, will be the first to lose a “life” inthe course of an e-sport match. In this example the state in the gamefrom which the result can be detected is the state in which the videogame first generates an image showing that a character has lost a lifein the contest. This latter example is an example of a result which isan interim result in the game, while the former example is an examplewhere the result to be detected may a final result in the game. Giventhe connection between the wager received at process block 501 and theresult to be detected (and the video game state which shows the resultto be detected) which is the subject of the evaluation process shown indashed box 504, it will be appreciated that the process steps shown inFIG. 5 are conducted for each wager received for the game and that theseprocesses are conducted in parallel by the data processing systems whichperform the various processing steps. That is, for a given e-sportcontest each wager which defines a result to be detected generates aninstance of the process shown in FIG. 5.

In the context of the example system and e-sports gaming machine shownin FIGS. 3 and 4, the video signal received as shown at process block503 in FIG. 5 is received by processor 408 from splitter 407 whichsplits the video output from the gaming device 409. The video signal maybe in any form which may be output from the gaming device such as HDMIand VGA for example. Regardless of the specific video format, and as iswell known in the art, the video signal comprises a stream of datadefining a series of image frames which are displayed sequentially on adisplay device (such as device 109 in FIGS. 1 and 4) in order to producethe desired video image on the display device. The display device showsthe series of frames rapidly at a suitable frame rate to produce adesired smoothness of motion for the video. Each frame in the series offrames making up the video signal received at process block 503 in FIG.5 is made up of a series of pixels with each pixel defining the light tobe produced in the display device a particular point in two dimensionsacross the display screen.

The evaluation process shown in dashed box 504 includes sampling a videoframe from the video signal as indicated at process block 505. Thesampling step may include simply storing the data representing a framefrom the sequence of video frames in suitable storage of theimplementing processing device, processor 408 in the example of FIG. 4.The illustrated method in FIG. 5 also includes converting the videoframe data to pixel data according to a predefined standard as shown atprocess block 506. This conversion may, for example, produce a set ofpixel data that represents a two dimensional array of pixels stored inany suitable data format. The evaluation process then includes searchingthe pixel data of the frame output from process block 506 for a resultcharacteristic corresponding to the result to be detected in the game.This searching process is shown at process block 507 in FIG. 5 and maybe performed by any suitable technique, including by comparing the pixeldata from process block 506 to a set of stored data (which may bereferred to as “result image definition data”) which defines an image orportion thereof expected to be displayed for the result to be detected.Such a comparison performed at process block 507 is conducted todetermine if there is a match between the pixel data produced accordingto process block 506 and the stored result image definition data for theresult to be detected (the result set by the wager received at processblock 501). For example, assume that the wager received for the game atprocess block 501 is a wager that player A will ultimately win a givenvideo game contest against player B. This wager sets the wager result tobe detected as the state of the video game in which one of the playersor their avatar/game character is shown as the winner of the contest. Inthis case the stored data for a comparison to the pixel data fromprocess block 506 (where a data comparison technique is used) is datawhich defines the display in the game showing the overall result andindicating that one of the players (or their avatar/game character) haswon the contest. If the comparison conducted at process block 507 inthis case indicates a match in pixel data, it can then be determinedfrom the matching which player has won and thus the result is detected.If the result is not detected as indicated by a negative outcome atdecision box 510, the process returns back to sample andprocess/evaluate another video frame from the video signal. However, ifthe result is detected by the search indicated at process block 507, theprocess proceeds to process block 512 to produce an output identifyingthe detected result.

The output produced at process block 512 may comprise any suitableoutput that will facilitate the process steps shown in dashed block box520, namely, determining the payout for the wager, if any, and awardingthat payout. Going back to the example in which the wager was thatplayer A will win in the game against player B, the output produced atprocess block 512 would be any output that identifies whether or notplayer A has won the game. If player A has lost the instance of thevideo game, the payout determination at process block 515 may be that nopayout should be made and thus no award would be paid at process block518. However, if the output at process block 512 indicates that player Ahas won, the process at block 515 determines the payout based on theapplicable odds which may for example be determined by a suitable oddssetting arrangement such as wagering backend server 323 in FIG. 3. Inany event the payout determined at process block 515 is awarded in somesuitable fashion as indicated at process block 518. This awarding stepin the case of system 301 shown in FIG. 3 may include an instructionfrom e-sport system server 303 to wager account server 325 to incrementthe patron's account by the determined payout amount, (which may be inthe form of credits redeemable for value, cash, player club points, orin any other form).

The schematic representations of video game images (that is,screenshots) of FIGS. 6-8 may be used to describe examples of instancesof the process shown in FIG. 5 and certain elements of the process whichmay be employed in various embodiments of the invention. Referring firstto the example screen display 600 of FIG. 6, the display represents adisplay that may be produced in the video game at the conclusion of acontest between a character 1 and character 2. In this example thedisplay includes an area 601 which will contain an image of character 1and also an area 602 which will contain an image of character 2. Anotherarea 604 on the display includes a banner or descriptive text such asthe term “WINNER” in a position in relation to the character that haswon the match, in this case character 1. Referring back to the examplein the previous paragraphs discussing FIG. 5, character 1 may be acharacter controlled by player A whereas character 2 may be a charactercontrolled by player B. In this example, the search of pixel dataperformed at process block 507 in FIG. 5 will be a search for a screendisplay containing the result characteristic indicating parts of thedisplay shown in FIG. 6 or a screen display containing the oppositeresult characteristic indicator in which the WINNER banner is not inarea 604 but is in an area located above character 2 in area 602. Wherethe search for the result characteristic is performed by comparing thepixel data generated for the given image frame with stored result imagedefinition data, the comparison for FIG. 6 would result in a match ofpixel data defining the term “WINNER” in the display and/or other resultindicating characteristics of the display. It should be noted here thatif the video screen display had produce pixel data showing the term“WINNER” positioned over the image of character to that is player B'scharacter, this would also indicate the result in the contest and wouldproduce a positive outcome at decision box 510 in FIG. 5. However, inthis latter case the output produced according to the process at block512 in FIG. 5 would indicate that player A had lost the contest.

The search for a result characteristic (as at 507 in FIG. 5) comprisinga textual label as in the example of FIG. 6, provides a convenientexample for describing a manner in which the present invention maydetect a result in the video game on which a wager is placed. However,embodiments of the present invention are certainly not limited tosearching for textual or alphanumeric labels in the image frame beingevaluated. Numerous other result characteristics might be used in agiven embodiment depending somewhat upon the nature of the image framebeing evaluated. For example, a video game which may be used in a gamingsystem such as system 301 in FIG. 3 might be configured so that theresult of a contest is always displayed in a box defined in the displayas a rectangle or some other geometric pattern, and the position of thatbox in the display may indicate which contestant won the contest. Inthis case, the search, whether by comparison of stored result imageindicating data or otherwise, might be for the geometric pattern in thedisplay and not for an alphanumeric characters. Other example resultcharacteristics which might be the subject of the search at block 507 ofFIG. 5 might be a certain color in a certain area of the image frame.Also the search at block 507 in FIG. 5 might be for two or more resultcharacteristics to provide higher confidence in accurately detecting theresult.

In order to reduce the amount of processing that must be performed inthe search at process block 507 in FIG. 5, and depending upon the videogame generating the image frames under evaluation, some implementationsof the present invention may initially search the pixel data of a givenframe for some threshold characteristic distinct from the result itselfthat will only be present in a frame showing the result to be detected.For example, the image represented in FIG. 6 includes the characters“VS.” in the display showing the result of the contest. Where such athreshold characteristic exists, an embodiment of the present inventionmay include a separate threshold search that is performed to detect thethreshold characteristic prior to or as part of the search indicated atprocess block 507 in FIG. 5. If the threshold characteristic is detectedthe search may continue for the result to be detected. However, if thethreshold characteristic is not detected, the process may loop back tobegin processing the next video frame sampled according to process block505 in FIG. 5.

Referring now to the example of FIG. 7, the image from which the videoframe pixel data is produced does not rely on a textual label such asthe term “WINNER” as in FIG. 6, but rather point totals for the match.In this case the display 700 would include an area 701 showing character1 and an area 702 showing an image of character 2. A point total for thematch is included at a given position proximate to each character image,area 703 above area 701 and area 704 above area 702. In this example,the search to be conducted at 507 in FIG. 5 might be a search for pointtotals, that is, numeric values, in the areas 703 and 704. The searchconducted at 507 in FIG. 5, whether by a pixel data comparison techniqueor otherwise, would in this case not only search for the numeric valuesin the expected areas, but would also include the step of evaluating thepoint totals detected to determine which player/character had the higherpoint total and thus won the contest. Of course, a thresholdcharacteristic search may be performed in connection with the exampledisplay of FIG. 7, such as for the textual label “VS.” as describedabove in connection with FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 shows yet another example of a video game image from which aresult in the video game may be detected. In this particular example theimage 800 may be one displayed during the course of a game and before anoverall result for the game may be determined. Thus the result to bedetected from the image may be an interim result. The image 800 includesan area 801 containing an image of character 1 and an area 802containing an image of character 2 at a given point in time in the game.In the example of a combat game, the image may show a point in time inwhich the two characters are in the midst of combat. In this example,the game includes status bars, in this case two separate bars, in anarea proximate to the given character. Status bars 803 are associatedwith character 1 and status bars 804 are associated with character 2.Each set of status bars 803 and 804 may, for example, include a healthbar and a strength or power bar. The result to be detected in image 800may, for example, be a result that is indicated by the set of statusbars. For example, a wager received at 501 in FIG. 5 may be a wager thatplayer A (who controls character 1 in the game from which image 800 istaken) will lose a life first in the contest before player B (whocontrols character 2). The game may be configured such that every time acharacter loses a life a health bar associated with that characterreduces to zero so as to disappear from the screen until the characterre-spawns. Thus the result to resolve a wager regarding the first playerto lose a life in the contest can be detected from an image in the gamein which the health bar for one of the characters first reduces to zero.In this example scenario, the search conducted at 507 in FIG. 5 could befor a representation of a player health bar at a zero level and then forwhich character the zero health bar is associated. From this informationan output identifying the detected result may be produced according toblock 512 in FIG. 5

In each of the examples described above in connection with FIGS. 6-8,the wager is resolved by a result in a contest between two characters.Of course in other games there may be three or more characters which mayeach be controlled by a different player. It is also possible thatcharacters controlled by different players may represent a team and awager may be placed on a result associated with team play. In each case,the search process performed at block 507 in FIG. 5 would search forsome characteristic in the given image under evaluation which indicatesa result from which the wager placed for the game may be resolved.

It should be noted that wagers may be placed in the process of FIG. 5 onresults which are transient in the game, and thus appear in an imagefrom the video stream for only a limited number of images. This isparticularly the case for interim results such as the above example ofthe first character to lose a life in the game. The limited number ofimage frames showing a result affects the sampling rate from theincoming video stream in the sense that the sampling rate must be highenough to ensure detection of a transient result from which the givenwager may be resolved.

The above examples described in connection with the process shown inFIG. 5 each refer to a result associated with an individual instance ofa video game conducted through a gaming machine 101 in FIGS. 1, 3, and4. The present invention is not, however, limited to individual gameresults. For example, a patron may place a wager that a given playerwill win a given tournament among many players. Such a wager can only beresolved after a number of instances of the video game until ultimatelya winner of the tournament is declared in accordance with the tournamentrules. In this case, the process steps shown in dashed box 504 in FIG. 5may be performed for each instance of a game in the tournament and theresult of that instance reported to e-sport system server for processingin accordance with dashed box 520. However, the processing here mayinclude maintaining the individual game results so that the ultimatetournament winner can be identified. Thus the process at block 514 mayinclude maintaining and tabulating the result information, and theprocess would proceed to determine the payout at process block 515 onlyonce the tournament winner has been identified from the result outputsfor the various individual matches in the tournament.

In order to facilitate setting up tournaments between e-sports playersand facilitate player progression through the given tournament, e-sportsgaming system 301 shown in FIG. 3 includes an arrangement that allowsthe match set up in the underlying e-sports game to be overridden by thee-sports gaming system. Typically in an e-sports game conducted througha platform such as XBOX ONE®, a player logs into an XBOX ONE® console,selects a game to play, and then navigates through a setup process forthe game to select various options and to select an opponent or have thesystem select an opponent (which may be another player or an AI). Thesetup overriding arrangement according to some embodiments of thepresent invention blocks local controller inputs that an e-sports playermight otherwise make, and in the place of the local controller inputsmakes virtual controller inputs to select an opponent and otherwisecontrol the game setup process.

FIG. 9 shows process for controlling e-sports game setup according to animplementation of the present invention. The process of FIG. 9 includesfirst receiving a video signal from the e-sports gaming device as shownat process block 901. This video signal may be a signal split from thegaming device by splitter 407 shown in FIG. 4. The process then includesa number of steps shown in dashed box 902 which detect a game setupstate in the game and produce a suitable output when the state isdetected. FIG. 9 also shows a number of steps in dashed box 904 whichrespond to the output indicating the setup state is detected. Thisresponse is to generate inputs and communicate those inputs to thegaming device to set up play for a given player.

The example process shown in dashed box 902 is similar to the resultdetection process shown in FIG. 5 in that it relies on sampling videoframes from the game device to detect a particular image state. In theprocess of FIG. 5 that state conveys a result in the game, while in theprocess of FIG. 9 the state detected is a setup state apparent from animage frame of the received video signal. The process includes samplinga video frame from the video signal as shown at process block 906 andthen converting the video frame pixel data as necessary as shown atprocess block 907. These processes at 906 and 907 of FIG. 9 correspondto the processes at block 505 and 506 in FIG. 5 and all of thevariations and characteristics of those processes apply equally to theprocesses at 906 and 907. The process further includes searching thepixel data to for a setup state as shown at process block 909. In theevent the setup state is detected from the operation at process block909, the process includes branching from decision box 910 to produce anoutput for the tournament server as shown at process block 912. If thesetup state is not detected, as indicated by a negative outcome atdecision box 910, the process loops back to sample another frame atprocess block 906. Once the output has been produced for the processesin dashed box 904 according to this example, the process determineswhether set up is complete (that is, will be complete after theprocesses at dashed box 904 are completed). This may be discerned fromthe setup state detected by the search indicated at process block 909.If set up is complete as indicated by an affirmative outcome at decisionbox 914, the process simply terminates as indicated at 915. However, ifset up is not complete, the process loops back to sample another imagefrom the video signal to initiate the process for detecting the nextsetup state in the game setup process.

The search techniques described above in connection with process block507 of FIG. 5 apply equally to the search performed at block 909 in FIG.9. However, in the case of process block 909, the search is for pixeldata that would be expected at a given setup state of the game. Wherethe search is conducted by comparing the pixel data from the sampledframe, to stored data, the stored data would be data defining pixels ofan image or portion of an image included in the image frame for thesetup state to be detected. An example of such a state will be describedbelow in connection with FIG. 10.

In response to the output produced as shown at process block 912 andreceived at process block 921, the example process shown in FIG. 9includes blocking local controller inputs for a given e-sports gamingmachine as shown at process block 922. This may be accomplished bycontrolling the switch 415 in the example e-sports gaming machine ofFIG. 4 to prevent inputs from button panels 103, 105 and any gamecontrollers 317 which may be connected. The process of FIG. 9 nextincludes generating gaming device setup control signals as shown atprocess block 924 and then communicating these gaming device setupcontrol signals to the gaming device as shown at process block 925.

The process shown in FIG. 9 may be initiated in a number of differentways within the scope of the present invention. In some implementationsan e-sports player may enroll in a tournament at a tournament enrollmentdevice such as device 310 in FIG. 3. A player may also enroll in ane-sports tournament through an interface such as interface 418 includedat e-sports gaming machine 101 in FIG. 4, or an additional gamingmachine 326 locally in system 301, or through a gaming machine,enrollment station/kiosk, or e-sports gaming machine at a remote gamingsite such as 328 in FIG. 3. After enrollment, the player may be directedto one of the e-sports gaming machines (101 in FIGS. 3 and 4) at aspecific time. The player may then login to the gaming device 409 atthat e-sports gaming machine. The setup state detection process shown indashed box 902 in FIG. 9 may be initiated at the scheduled time for theplayer or perhaps somewhat before that time to ensure that the desiredsetup state is detected. In this example the setup state may be thestate of the gaming device 409 and image output from the gaming deviceat the point in time at which the player is logged in to the videogaming system supported by the gaming device.

In the context of the example gaming system 301 shown in FIG. 3 and theexample e-sports gaming machine 101 shown in FIG. 4, the imageevaluation process shown at dashed box 902 in FIG. 9 may be performed byprocessor 408 operating as an image evaluation processor. In such animplementation, the output produced at block 912 in FIG. 9 may be anetwork communication initiated by processor 408. The process shown atdashed box 904 in FIG. 9 may be performed by e-sport system server 303in concert with e-sports system game controller 321 in FIG. 3, togetherservicing as a tournament processing device. In particular, e-sportsystem server 303 may receive the output produced according to processblock 912 in FIG. 9 as a communication over network 304 in FIG. 3. Thee-sport system server 303 may then direct the e-sport system gamecontroller 321 to send a command through path 319 to block localcontroller inputs (in accordance with block 922 in FIG. 9), and generatethe appropriate gaming device setup control signals (in accordance withblock 924 in FIG. 9). These gaming device setup control signals arecommunicated to the e-sports gaming machine and applied as gamingcontroller inputs (in accordance with block 925 in FIG. 9) by e-sportssystem game controller 321.

The display image representation of FIG. 10 may be used to describe aset up display which may be detected according to the process in blockdashed box 902 of FIG. 9. This display image 1000 in the example of FIG.10 may, for example, be the display produced at gaming device 409 inFIG. 4 in response to a player logging on to the platform. Display image1000 includes an area 1001 in which a username is displayed for the userthat has logged on, along with an area 1002 for various applications(games) which are available on the gaming device 409. Image 1000 mayinclude other information and advertisements as shown in field 1005 andother information in a field 1006. The state of the gaming device 409indicated by image 1000 is a state in which the user/player may select agame, and then go through a sequence in which the player sets up play inthe game by perhaps selecting an opponent and perhaps selecting othercharacteristics of game play. However, according to aspects of thepresent invention, this initial setup state is a state in which thee-sport system server 303 and virtual controller 321 may take over thesetup process so that the respective e-sport gaming machine may be usedto play a scheduled tournament e-sport game.

In implementations of the invention where the search conducted at block909 in the process of FIG. 9 is performed by conducting a comparison ofthe pixel data from the sampled image and stored image data, the storedimage data may include pixel definitions for any suitablecharacteristics of the example image shown in FIG. 10. A suitablecharacteristic or set of characteristics would be those that are uniqueto the setup state indicated by the image in FIG. 10. Where any of theareas 1001, 1002, 1005, and 1006 include a border, the stored image datamight include pixel data that would be expected to define the givenborder. As another example, where the location of the user name in theimage is unique to the setup state, the search conducted at 909 in FIG.9 may be a search for alphanumeric characters in the area 1001 in thepixel data defined by example image 1000. Such a search may be conductedby comparison to stored data or by any suitable algorithm.

Prior to the start of a tournament round, respective display screens 109may prompt each player to respond and each player may be required toinput (at the respective gaming machine 101) information requested onthe display screen 109. For example, players may be prompted in thisfashion to log in to the gaming device 409 of the gaming machine 101(FIG. 3) and to otherwise enter identifying information. The prompt maybe displayed as an overlay on display screen 109 of each gaming machine,or could be displayed at some other display device of the gaming machinesuch as player interface 418. Alternatively, the prompt may be displayedthrough a group display device such as display 305 in the example systemshown in FIG. 3. In some instances, game play may comprise play of alive player with a virtual player, such that virtual controller 321 maybe automated to play according to a selected player level, versus a liveplayer entering inputs at the respective player gaming device. As gameplay proceeds, the live play displayed on respective display screens 109may be shown substantially in real-time or replayed on various externaldisplays 305 according to tournament software executed by the e-sportssystem server 303. When the selected games are completed, either inaccordance with a timer or game rules, the winning player or team isdetermined by the e-sports system server 303 which causes the gameresults to be displayed on one or more display screens in the system301.

FIGS. 11 and 12 may be used to describe further aspects of the inputmonitoring device (input monitor) 412 shown in the example e-sportsgaming machine 101 of FIG. 4. The example input monitoring device 412shown in FIG. 11 includes an input sniffer component 1101, a datastorage unit 1102, an input speed evaluating unit 1103, an input timingevaluator unit 1105, an input mistake evaluator unit 1107, a varianceevaluator unit 1109, and a probability determining unit 1111. Each unitmay be a program module of an input monitoring device master programexecuted by a processor comprising input monitoring device 412 or theymay comprise separate general purpose processors or separate applicationspecific processors or circuitry dedicated to perform the specificfunction of the unit. These units (1103, 1105, 1107, and 1109) evaluateaspects of the data input (“game controller input”) from a player gamecontroller 317 shown in FIG. 4 or e-sports gaming machine button panel103, 105 shown in FIG. 4. Input sniffer 1101 splits off the signalrepresenting the game controller input for storage locally by datastorage unit 1102 and evaluation by units 1103, 1105, 1107, and 1109,and also allows the game controller input to pass through to the gamingdevice 409. Once the game controller input has been stored by inputmonitoring device 412, one or more algorithms are triggered to read thedata from storage 1102 and perform analysis to determine the probabilitythat the game controller input was automated. Each evaluation unit 1103,1105, 1107, and 1109 reports its results to probability determining unit1111 which computes a final probability of automation associated withthe game controller input. In the example arrangement shown in FIG. 11,this final result is communicated to the e-sports system server 303and/or some other server 1114, either of which may direct further actionbased on the final result. In particular, the further action may be todisqualify the player associated with the game control input for acurrent game and/or ban the player for future e-sports games conductedthrough gaming system 301 in FIG. 3. In some implementations the furtheraction may be automated, or may be made by a system operator afterevaluating the output from unit 1111, which may be sent to a suitabledisplay device associated with e-sports system server 303 or server1114.

Referring to FIG. 12, an example button filter 413 is shown connected toreceive the input from a player controller (such as controller 317 inFIG. 4) before the gaming device 409. Button filter 413 is configured tofilter the signals resulting from certain button presses so that thesignals do not reach gaming device 409. In particular, button filter 413accepts inputs from player controller 317, compares each input signal toa list of unacceptable inputs, and filters out any that match. Thisdetermination is executed in a few microseconds as to not impact thetimings or responsiveness of the input device (e.g. player controller219). Additionally, all filtered inputs can be stored in memoryassociated with the button filter 413 along with a timestamp indicatingthe date and time the input was filtered.

The button filter device 413 is capable of holding multipleconfigurations, each with a unique list of unacceptable inputs to befiltered. Once a configuration is chosen, its list is then consideredactive and the device will reject all inputs matching the configuration.

One use case for button filter 413 is in a gaming tournament, where“pause” and “home” buttons are preferably not allowed to be pressedduring a match. In this example, button filter 413 functions to filterout all “pause” and “home’ button presses so that a player may notinterrupt the game in progress.

Although the example e-sports tournament gaming machine 101 is shown ashaving a single display device 109 controlled by gaming device 409,other implementations may have an additional display controlled bysuitable processor (such as processor 408 in the example of FIG. 4).This second display may be controlled by the processor and otherelements in the system (such as e-sports system server 303) to displayreal-time leader board information including current relative positionsof participants in tournament play within the second display area andmay further be configured to display at least one of the player videofeeds together with an individual result of play in a tournament game.

In the following description FIGS. 13 and 14 will be used to describeexample gaming machines such as those shown at 326 in FIG. 3, or thatmay represent a remote wagering device such as 327 in FIG. 3. FIG. 15will be used to describe a game a networked gaming system that maycomprise a remote gaming site such as site 328 in FIG. 3 or may beincluded locally in the network representing the e-sports gaming systemshown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 13, gaming machine 1300 includes a cabinet 1301 havinga front side generally shown at reference numeral 1302. A primary videodisplay device 1304 is mounted in a central portion of the front side1302, and a touch-screen button panel 1306 is positioned below theprimary video display device. In addition to primary video displaydevice 1304, the illustrated gaming machine 1300 includes a secondaryvideo display device 1307 positioned above the primary video displaydevice. Gaming machine 1300 also includes two additional smallerauxiliary display devices, an upper auxiliary display device 1308 and alower auxiliary display device 1309. It should also be noted that eachdisplay device referenced herein may include any suitable display deviceincluding a cathode ray tube, liquid crystal display, plasma display,LED display, or any other type of display device currently known or thatmay be developed in the future. One or more of these video displaydevices, and especially primary video display device 1304, may be usedto display graphics associated with e-sports play in a gaming system.For example, upper display 1307 may be used to display action in ane-sports game on which a player at gaming machine 1300 has wagered. Aswill be described further below in connection with FIG. 14 andelsewhere, it is also possible for gaming machines within the scope ofthe present invention to include mechanical elements such as mechanicalreels. Generally, the display device or display devices of the gamingmachine, whether video display devices, mechanical devices, orcombinations of the two, which are used to display graphic elementsaccording to embodiments of the invention may be described in thisdisclosure and the accompanying claims as a “display system.”

The gaming machine 1300 illustrated for purposes of example in FIG. 13also includes a mechanical control button 1310 mounted adjacent totouch-screen button panel 1306. This control button 1310 may allow aplayer to make a play input to start a play in a wagering game conductedthrough gaming machine 1300, while virtual buttons included (but notshown in this view) on button panel 1306 or other physical buttons orcontrols may allow a player to select a bet level for a game implementedat the gaming machine or for an e-sports competition and select a typeof game or game feature. Other forms of gaming machines through whichthe invention may be implemented may include switches, joysticks, orother mechanical input devices, in addition to the virtual buttons andother controls implemented on touch-screen button panel 1306. Forexample, primary video display device 1304 in gaming machine 1300provides a convenient display device for implementing touch screencontrols in addition to or in lieu of controls included on touch-screenbutton panel 1306 or mechanical controls. The player interface deviceswhich receive player inputs in the course of a game played through thegaming machine or for e-sports wagers placed through the gaming machine1300, such as controls to select a wager amount for a given play,controls to enter a play input to actually start a given play in thewagering game, or controls to allow a player to make other playerselections in a game according to the present invention, may be referredto generally as a “player input system.”

It will be appreciated that gaming machines may also include a number ofother player interface devices in addition to devices that areconsidered player controls for use in entering inputs in the course of aparticular game. Gaming machine 1300 also includes a currency/voucheracceptor having an input ramp 1312, a voucher/receipt printer having avoucher/receipt output 1315, and a player card reader (not shown in theview of FIG. 13). Numerous other types of player interface devices maybe included in gaming machines that may be used to implement embodimentsof the present invention.

A gaming machine which may be used as a wagering device for e-sportscompetitions in a system such as that shown in FIG. 3 may also include asound system to provide an audio output to enhance the user's playingexperience. For example, illustrated gaming machine 1300 includesspeakers 1316 which may be driven by a suitable audio amplifier (notshown) to provide a desired audio output at the gaming machine.

FIG. 14 shows a logical and hardware block diagram 1400 of gamingmachine 1300 which includes a processor (CPU) 1405 along with randomaccess memory (RAM) 1406 and nonvolatile memory or storage device 1407.All of these devices are connected on a system bus 1408 with an audiocontroller device 1409, a network controller 1410, and a serialinterface 1411. A graphics processor 1415 is also connected on bus 1408and is connected to drive primary video display device 1304 andsecondary video display device 1307 (both mounted on cabinet 1301 asshown in FIG. 13). A second graphics processor 1416 is also connected onbus 1408 in this example to drive the auxiliary display devices 1408 and1409 also shown in FIG. 13. As shown in FIG. 14, gaming machine 1300also includes a touch screen controller 1417 connected to system bus1408. Touch screen controller 1417 is also connected via signal path1418 to receive signals from a touch screen element associated withprimary video display device 1304 or touch-screen button panel 1306 orboth. It will be appreciated that the touch screen element itselftypically comprises a thin film that is secured over the display surfaceof the respective display device such as the display device oftouch-screen button panel 1306 in FIG. 1. The touch screen elementitself is not illustrated or referenced separately in the figures.

Those familiar with data processing devices and systems will appreciatethat other basic electronic components will be included in gamingmachine 1300 such as a power supply, cooling systems for the varioussystem components, audio amplifiers, and other devices that are commonin gaming machines. These additional devices are omitted from thedrawings so as not to obscure the present invention in unnecessarydetail.

All of the elements 1405, 1406, 1407, 1408, 1409, 1410, and 1411 shownin FIG. 14 are elements commonly associated with a personal computer.These elements may be mounted on (or connected to) a standard personalcomputer motherboard and housed in a standard personal computer housingwhich itself may be mounted in cabinet 1301 shown in FIG. 13.Alternatively, the various electronic components may be mounted on oneor more circuit boards housed within cabinet 1301 without a separateenclosure such as those found in personal computers. Those familiar withdata processing systems and the various data processing elements shownin FIG. 14 will appreciate that many variations on this illustratedstructure may be used within the scope of the present invention. Forexample, since serial communications are commonly employed tocommunicate with a touch screen controller such as touch screencontroller 1417, the touch screen controller may not be connected onsystem bus 1408, but instead include a serial communications line toserial interface 1411, which may be a USB controller for example. Itwill also be appreciated that some of the devices shown in FIG. 14 asbeing connected directly on system bus 1408 may in fact communicate withthe other system components through a suitable expansion bus. Audiocontroller 1409, for example, may be connected to the system via a PCIor PCIe bus. System bus 1408 is shown in FIG. 14 merely to indicate thatthe various components are connected in some fashion for communicationwith CPU 1405 and is not intended to limit the invention to anyparticular bus architecture. Numerous other variations in the gamingmachine internal structure and system may be used without departing fromthe principles of the present invention. For example, a gaming machinein some embodiments of the present invention may rely on one or moredata processors which are located remotely from the gaming machineitself. Embodiments of the present invention may include no processorsuch as CPU 1405 or graphics processors such as 1415 and 1416 at thegaming machine, and may instead rely on one or more remote processors.Thus unless specifically stated otherwise, the designation “gamingmachine” is used in this disclosure and the accompanying claims todesignate a system of devices which operate together to provide theindicated functions. A “gaming machine” may include a gaming machinesuch as gaming machine 1300 shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, which is itself asystem of various components, and may also include one or morecomponents remote from a gaming machine cabinet (that is, cabinet 1301in FIG. 13). Thus the designation “gaming machine” encompasses both astand-alone gaming machine and a gaming machine (that is, the parthoused in a cabinet such as cabinet 1301 in FIG. 13) along with one ormore remote components for providing various functions (such asgenerating outcomes for plays in a game, and driving display devicesmounted in the gaming machine cabinet).

It will also be appreciated that graphics processors are also commonly apart of modern computer systems. Although separate graphics processor1415 is shown for controlling primary video display device 1304 andsecondary video display device 1307, and graphics processor 1416 isshown for controlling both auxiliary display devices 1408 and 1409, CPU1405 or a graphics processor packaged with or included with CPU 1405 maycontrol all of the display devices directly without any separatelypackaged graphics processor. The invention is not limited to anyparticular arrangement of processing devices for controlling the videodisplay devices included with gaming machine 1300. Also, a gamingmachine implementing the present invention is not limited to anyparticular number of video display devices or other types of displaydevices.

In the illustrated gaming machine 1300, CPU 1405 executes software, thatis, program code, which ultimately controls the entire gaming machineincluding the receipt of player inputs and the presentation of thegraphics or information displayed according to the invention through thedisplay devices 1304, 1307, 1308, and 1309 associated with the gamingmachine. CPU 1405 also executes software related to communicationshandled through network controller 1410, and software related to variousperipheral devices such as those connected to the system through audiocontroller 1409, serial interface 1411, and touch screen controller1417. CPU 1405 may also execute software to perform accounting functionsassociated with game play. Random access memory 1406 provides memory foruse by CPU 1405 in executing its various software programs while thenonvolatile memory or storage device 1407 may comprise a hard drive orother mass storage device providing storage for game software ore-sports wagering modules (program code) prior to loading into randomaccess memory 1406 for execution, or for programs not in use or forother data generated or used in the course of gaming machine operation.Network controller 1410 provides an interface to other components of agaming system in which gaming machine 1300 may be included. An examplenetwork will be described below in connection with FIG. 15.

It should be noted that the invention is not limited to gaming machinesemploying the personal computer-type arrangement of processing devicesand interfaces shown in example gaming machine 1300. Other gamingmachines through which the invention may be implemented may include oneor more special purpose processing devices to perform the variousprocessing steps for implementing the invention. Unlike general purposeprocessing devices such as CPU 1405, which may comprise an IntelPentium® or Core® processor for example, these special purposeprocessing devices may not employ operational program code to direct thevarious processing steps.

The example gaming machine 1300 is shown in FIG. 14 as including userinterface devices 1420 (part of a player input system) connected toserial interface 1411. These user interface devices may include variousplayer input devices such as mechanical buttons shown on touch-screenbutton panel 1306 in FIG. 13, and/or levers, and other devices. It willbe appreciated that the interface between CPU 1405 and other playerinput devices such as player card readers, voucher readers or printers,and other devices may be in the form of serial communications. Thusserial interface 1411 may be used for those additional devices as well,or the gaming machine may include one or more additional serialinterface controllers. However, the interface between peripheral devicesin the gaming machine, such as player input devices, is not limited toany particular type or standard for purposes of the present invention.

Reel Assembly 1413 is shown in the diagrammatic representation of FIG.14 to illustrate that a gaming machine which may serve as a remotewagering device such as 327 in FIG. 3 or an additional gaming machine326 in FIG. 3 may include mechanical reels. For example, a number ofsets of mechanical reels may replace the primary display device 1304, orat least part of that display device. Alternatively, mechanical reelsmay be included in the gaming machine behind a light-transmissive videodisplay panel. In either case, the mechanical reels represent a displaydevice for displaying various game symbols in the course of a game play.Although the invention is not limited to any particular mechanical reelarrangement or control system, mechanical reels may be controlledconveniently through serial communications which provide instructionsfor a respective stepper motor for each reel. Thus some embodiments ofthe present invention which employ mechanical reels may use a serialinterface device such as serial interface 1411 to control communicationswith the reel assembly, and may not include a direct bus interconnectionas indicated by FIG. 14. Details of a mechanical reel arrangement andvarious accent lighting arrangements which may be associated withmechanical reels are not shown in the present figures so as to avoidobscuring the present invention in unnecessary detail.

Referring now to FIG. 15, a networked gaming system 1500 associated withone or more gaming facilities such as remote gaming site 328 in FIG. 3or co-located with e-sports gaming system 301 in FIG. 3 may include oneor more networked gaming machines 1300 (“electronic gaming machines” or“EGM's”) connected in the network by suitable network cable orwirelessly. Networked gaming machines 1300 (EGM1-EGMn) and one or moreoverhead displays 1513 may be operatively connected so that the overheaddisplay or displays may mirror or replay the content of one or moredisplays of gaming machines 1300. For example, the primary displaycontent for a given gaming machine 1300 (including a game play accordingto the present invention) may be transmitted through network controller1410 to a controller associated with the overhead display(s) 1513. Inthe event gaming machines 1300 have cameras installed, the respectiveplayer's video images may be displayed on overhead display 1513 alongwith the content of the player's gaming machine display.

The example gaming network 1500 shown in FIG. 15 includes a host server1501 and floor server 1502, which together may function as anintermediary between floor devices such as gaming machines 1300 and backoffice devices such as the various servers described below. Game server1503 may provide server-based games and/or game services to networkconnected gaming devices such as gaming machines 1300. Centraldeterminant server 1505 may be included in the network to identify orselect lottery, bingo, or other centrally determined game outcomes andprovide the outcome information to networked gaming machines 1300 whichpresent the games to players.

Tournament server 1506 may be included in the system for controlling orcoordinating tournament functions outside of an e-sports system such assystem 301 in FIG. 3. These functions may include maintaining tournamentplayer scores and ranking in real time during the course of tournamentplay, and communicating this information to the various gaming machines1300 participating in the tournament. Tournament server 1506 may alsofunction to enroll players in tournaments, schedule tournaments, andmaintain the time remaining in the various tournaments.

Progressive server 1507 may maintain progressive pools for progressivegames which may be available through the various gaming machines 1300.In some implementations, progressive server 1507 may simply receivecommunications indicating contribution amounts which have beendetermined by processes executing at the various gaming machines 1300 orelsewhere in the gaming network. Alternatively, progressive server 1507may perform processes to determine the contribution amounts forincrementing the various progressive pools which may be maintained.Progressive server 1507 may also periodically communicate current poolvalues back to the various gaming machines 1300, and may participate incommunicating awarded progressive prize amounts to the gaming machinesand making adjustments to the progressive prize pools accordingly. Insome implementations, progressive server 1507 may also determine orparticipate in determining when a progressive prize triggering eventoccurs.

Accounting server 1511 may receive gaming data from each of thenetworked gaming devices, perform audit functions, and provide data foranalysis programs. Player account server 1509 may maintain playeraccount records, and store persistent player data such as accumulatedplayer points and/or player preferences (for example, game personalizingselections or options).

Example gaming network 1500 also includes a gaming website 1521 whichmay be hosted through web server 1520 and may be accessible by playersvia the Internet. One or more games may be displayed as described hereinand played by a player through a personal computer 1523 or handheldwireless device 1525 (for example, a Blackberry® cell phone, Apple®iPhone®, personal digital assistant (PDA), iPad®, etc.). To enterwebsite 1521, a player may log in with a user name that may, forexample, be associated with the player's account information stored onplayer account server 1509. Once logged in to website 1521 the playermay play various games on the website, including games according to theinvention. Also website 1521 may allow the player to make variouspersonalizing selections and save the information so it is available foruse during the player's next gaming session at a casino establishmenthaving the gaming machines 1300.

It will be appreciated that gaming network 1500 illustrated in FIG. 15is provided merely as an example of a gaming network which mayfacilitate e-sports wagering in addition to traditional gaming, and isnot intended to be limiting in any way. An e-sports gaming systemaccording to aspects of the present invention is not limited to use withgaming networks such as network 1500.

There is also wide variation possible in e-sports gaming machines withinthe scope of the present invention. In addition to e-sports tournamentcomponents described above in connection with FIG. 4, the e-sportstournament gaming machines such as gaming machine 101 may optionallyinclude conventional gaming components, such as printers and billacceptors, operable to provide traditional wagering games. The e-sportsgaming machines may also be automatically convertible between in-revenueand out-of-revenue operating modes through instructions transmitted bye-sports system server 303 or a separate tournament server. Additionallythe e-sports tournament gaming machines 101 may include video camerasconnected to provide live video feed to one or more external displayssuch as displays 330 in FIG. 3, such as during tournament play when livevideo feed of the players and the player tournament positions may bedriven in real-time to the external displays. More detailed descriptionsof the in-revenue and out-of-revenue gaming machine configurations andautomation together with a tournament server is more fully described inU.S. Pat. No. 9,443,394 filed Jun. 24, 2013, and entitled “ConvertibleIn-Revenue and Out-of-Revenue Gaming System and Method with a Real-TimeStreaming Video Feed and Display” which is incorporated by reference.

As used herein, whether in the above description or the followingclaims, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,”“containing,” “involving,” and the like are to be understood to beopen-ended, that is, to mean including but not limited to. Also, itshould be understood that the terms “about,” “substantially,” and liketerms used herein when referring to a dimension or characteristic of acomponent indicate that the described dimension/characteristic is not astrict boundary or parameter and does not exclude variations therefromthat are functionally similar. At a minimum, such references thatinclude a numerical parameter would include variations that, usingmathematical and industrial principles accepted in the art (e.g.,rounding, measurement or other systematic errors, manufacturingtolerances, etc.), would not vary the least significant digit.

Any use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., inthe following claims to modify a claim element does not by itselfconnote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element overanother, or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed.Rather, unless specifically stated otherwise, such ordinal terms areused merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certainname from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinalterm).

In the above descriptions and the following claims, terms such as top,bottom, upper, lower, and the like with reference to a given feature areintended only to identify a given feature and distinguish that featurefrom other features. Unless specifically stated otherwise, such termsare not intended to convey any spatial or temporal relationship for thefeature relative to any other feature.

The term “each” may be used in the following claims for convenience indescribing characteristics or features of multiple elements, and anysuch use of the term “each” is in the inclusive sense unlessspecifically stated otherwise. For example, if a claim defines two ormore elements as “each” having a characteristic or feature, the use ofthe term “each” is not intended to exclude from the claim scope asituation having a third one of the elements which does not have thedefined characteristic or feature.

The above described preferred embodiments are intended to illustrate theprinciples of the invention, but not to limit the scope of theinvention. Various other embodiments and modifications to thesepreferred embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. For example, in someinstances, one or more features disclosed in connection with oneembodiment can be used alone or in combination with one or more featuresof one or more other embodiments. More generally, the various featuresdescribed herein may be used in any working combination. Also, althoughthe above description refers to the evaluation of a video signal from agame to determine a result or setup state of the game, the audio signalof a game may also be evaluated to determine or to aid in determining aresult or setup state of the game.

1. A method including: (a) receiving a wager through a wager inputdevice, the wager being placed on a game to be conducted through a videogaming system; (b) at an image evaluation processing system, receiving avideo signal for the game; (c) evaluating the received video signal atthe image evaluation processing system to identify a result in the game;and (d) resolving the wager based at least in part on the result of thegame identified by the evaluation of the received video signal.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 wherein evaluating the received video signal includes:(a) searching pixel data of a respective frame from the video signal fora result characteristic corresponding to the result in the game; and (b)in response to detection of the result characteristic corresponding tothe result in the game, producing an output indicative of the result. 3.The method of claim 2 further including: (a) searching the pixel data ofthe respective frame from the video signal for a thresholdcharacteristic corresponding to a display graphic in which the resultcharacteristic is displayed according to the game; and (b) when thethreshold characteristic is not detected in the respective frame fromthe video signal, searching pixel data for a subsequent frame from thevideo signal for the threshold characteristic.
 4. The method of claim 3wherein parsing the pixel data of the respective frame from the videosignal for the result characteristic is performed in response to thedetection of the threshold characteristic in the respective frame. 5.The method of claim 2 wherein parsing the pixel data of the respectiveframe from the video signal for the result characteristic includesparsing for alphanumeric characters at one or more locations in therespective frame.
 6. The method of claim 2 wherein parsing the pixeldata of the respective frame from the video signal for the resultcharacteristic includes parsing for a color at one or more locations inthe respective frame.
 7. The method of claim 2 wherein parsing the pixeldata of the respective frame from the video signal for the resultcharacteristic includes parsing for one or more geometrical shapes inthe respective frame.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the wager inputdevice is located in a gaming device which includes a game processor, agame display screen, and a game controller interface for the gameprocessor.
 9. A gaming system comprising: (a) a gaming device for avideo gaming system; (b) one or more video monitors operativelyconnected to receive a game video signal for a game in the video gamingsystem and conducted through the gaming device; (c) a wager input deviceconfigured to receive a wager on a result in the game; (d) an imageevaluation processing system operatively connected to receive the gamevideo signal, the image evaluation processing system being configured toevaluate the game video signal to identify a result in the game; and (e)a wager resolution system operatively connected to the image evaluationprocessing system and to the wager input device, the wager resolutionsystem being configured to receive the wager and the result identifiedby the image evaluation processing system, and to resolve the wagerbased on the result identified by the image evaluation processingsystem.
 10. The gaming system of claim 9 wherein the wager resolutionsystem includes a wagering backend processing system configured todetermine a probability of the result occurring in the game and whereinresolving the wager based on the result identified by the imageevaluation processing system includes applying the probability of theresult occurring in the game.
 11. The gaming system of claim 9 furtherincluding a tournament processing device operatively connected to theimage evaluation processing system, and having a separate operativeconnection to the gaming device or to the gaming device and one or moreadditional gaming devices for the video gaming system, the tournamentprocessing device being configured to receive play requests for the gamefrom two or more players, to produce setup control signals, and tooutput the setup control signals to the gaming device or to the gamingdevice and the one or more additional gaming devices, the setup controlsignals being configured to set up and initiate a match on the videogaming system between the two or more players.
 12. The gaming system ofclaim 11 wherein the image evaluation processing system is configured toidentify a respective play request for the game from one or more framesof the video signal receive the game video signal.
 13. A program productcomprising one or more non-transitory computer readable data storagedevices storing program code, the program code including: (a) wagerinput program code executable to receive a wager on a result of a gameon a video gaming system; (b) image evaluation program code executableto evaluate a game video signal generated for the game and to identify aresult in the game; and (c) wager resolution program code executable toreceive the wager and the result identified by the image evaluationprogram code, and to resolve the wager based on the result identified bythe image evaluation program code.
 14. The program product of claim 13further including wagering backend program code executable to determinea probability of the result occurring in the game and wherein resolvingthe wager based on the result identified by the image evaluation programcode includes applying the probability of the result occurring in thegame.
 15. The program product of claim 13 further including tournamentprogram code executable to receive play requests for two or moreplayers, to produce setup control signals, and to output the setupcontrol signals to a gaming device for the video gaming system or to thegaming device and one or more additional gaming devices for the videogaming system, the setup control signals being configured to set up andinitiate a match on the video gaming system between the two or moreplayers.
 16. A method including: (a) receiving a video signal for a gamesetup sequence for a game to be conducted on a video gaming system; (b)evaluating the video signal at a data processing system to identify oneor more game setup states for the game; and (c) generating gaming devicesetup control signals at the data processing system and communicatingthe gaming device setup control signals to a gaming device, the gamingdevice setup control signals comprising inputs to fill one or more inputfields of the one or more game setup states and to initiate play on thevideo gaming system between predetermined players.
 17. The method ofclaim 16 wherein: (a) evaluating the video signal includes searchingpixel data of a respective frame from the video signal for a setup fieldof the game setup sequence; and (b) generating gaming device setupcontrol signals includes, in response to detection of the setup field,producing an output including data to be entered in the setup field. 18.The method of claim 17 wherein searching the pixel data of therespective frame from the video signal for the setup field includessearching for alphanumeric characters at one or more locations in therespective frame.
 19. The method of claim 17 wherein searching the pixeldata of the respective frame from the video signal for the setup fieldincludes searching for a color at one or more locations in therespective frame.
 20. The method of claim 17 wherein searching the pixeldata of the respective frame from the video signal for the setup fieldincludes searching for one or more geometric shapes in the respectiveframe.
 21. The method of claim 17 further including: (a) searching thepixel data of the respective frame from the video signal for a thresholdcharacteristic corresponding to a display graphic in which the setupfield is displayed according to the game; and (b) when the thresholdcharacteristic is not detected in the respective frame from the videosignal, searching pixel data for a subsequent frame from the videosignal for the threshold characteristic.
 22. The method of claim 21wherein searching the pixel data of the respective frame from the videosignal for the setup field is performed in response to the detection ofthe threshold characteristic in the respective frame.
 23. The method ofclaim 16 further including blocking player inputs to the video gamingsystem during at least a portion of the game setup sequence.
 24. Themethod of claim 16 further including blocking player inputs to the videogaming system which are inconsistent with the gaming device setupcontrol signals.
 25. A gaming system including: (a) a gaming device fora video gaming system; (b) one or more video monitors operativelyconnected to receive a game video signal of the gaming device for a gamein the video gaming system; (c) an image evaluation processing systemoperatively connected to receive the game video signal, the imageevaluation processing system being configured to evaluate the game videosignal to identify one or more game setup states for the gaming device;and (d) a tournament processing system operatively connected to theimage evaluation processing system, and having a separate operativeconnection to the gaming device, the tournament processing system beingconfigured to receive play requests for the game, to produce gamingdevice setup control signals, and to output the gaming device setupcontrol signals to the gaming device, the gaming device setup controlsignals comprising inputs to fill one or more input fields of the one ormore game setup states and to initiate play on the video gaming systembetween predetermined players.
 26. The gaming system of claim 25wherein: (a) the image evaluation system is configured to search pixeldata of a respective frame from the video signal for a setup field of arespective game setup state; and (b) the tournament processing system isconfigured to, in response to detection of the setup field, include inthe gaming device setup control signals data to be entered in the setupfield.
 27. The gaming system of claim 25 wherein the tournamentprocessing system is configured to block player inputs to the gamingdevice which are inconsistent with the gaming device setup controlsignals.
 28. The gaming system of claim 25 further including: (a) anadditional gaming device for the video gaming system; (b) one or morevideo monitors operatively connected to receive a game video signal fromthe additional gaming device; (c) an additional image evaluationprocessing system operatively connected to receive the game video signalfrom the additional gaming device, the additional image evaluationprocessing system being configured to evaluate the game video signalfrom the additional gaming device to identify one or more game setupstates for the game at the additional gaming device; and (d) wherein thetournament processing device is operatively connected to the additionalimage evaluation processing system, and having a separate operativeconnection to the additional gaming device, the tournament processingdevice being configured to produce additional gaming device setupcontrol signals and direct the additional gaming device setup controlsignals to the additional gaming device, the additional gaming devicesetup control signals comprising inputs to fill one or more input fieldsof the one or more game setup states for the additional gaming deviceand to initiate play on the video gaming system between thepredetermined players participating through the gaming device and theadditional gaming device.
 29. The gaming system of claim 28 wherein: (a)the additional image evaluation processing system is configured tosearch pixel data of a respective frame from the video signal from theadditional gaming device for a setup field of a respective game setupstate of the additional gaming device; and (b) the tournament processingdevice in configured to, in response to detection of the setup field ofthe respective game setup state of the additional gaming device, includein the additional gaming device setup control signals data to be enteredin the setup field of the additional gaming device.
 30. The gamingsystem of claim 28 wherein the tournament processing device isconfigured to block player inputs to the additional gaming device whichare inconsistent with the additional gaming device setup controlsignals.
 31. A program product comprising one or more computer readablenon-transitory data storage devices storing program code, the programcode including: (a) image evaluation program code executable to evaluatea game video signal generated by a gaming device of a video gamingsystem and to identify one or more game setup states for the gamingdevice; and (b) tournament program code executable to generate gamingdevice setup control signals and communicate those gaming device setupcontrol signals to the gaming device, the gaming device setup controlsignals comprising inputs to fill one or more input fields of the one ormore game setup states and to initiate play on the video gaming systembetween predetermined players.
 32. The program product of claim 31wherein: (a) the image evaluation program code is executable to searchpixel data of a respective frame from the video signal for a setup fieldof a respective game setup state; and (b) the tournament program code isexecutable to, in response to detection of the setup field, include inthe gaming device setup control signals data to be entered in the setupfield.
 33. The program product of claim 31 wherein the tournamentprogram code is executable to block player inputs to the gaming devicewhich are inconsistent with the gaming device setup control signals.